CHICAGO - Move over Trekkies, a new
fan-fest has landed. More than 500 diva-worshippers came to
Chicago for a two-day weekend convention in honor of Cher. Cher
Convention 2000 drew Cher impersonators, wannabes and outright
look-alikes from across the country to a downtown hotel Friday
and Saturday (July 14 & 15).

The gathering at Chicago's Congress
Plaza Hotel, which resembled conventions for fans of Star Trek,
comic books and sports teams, was organized by three fans who
found each other through Cher's
Web site. "I've been a fan for years and we all thought
it would be good to get together with other fans," said Kim
Werdman a real estate manager from Arlington, Texas...

Cher wasn't present. While the event
featured kitschy karaoke performances, Sonny and Cher album
covers and other memorabilia, it also had a serious side.
Proceeds from the sale of T-shirts, photographs and other
keepsakes will be donated to the Children's Craniofacial
Association, a Dallas-based support group, Werdman said. Cher is
the organization's honorary chairwoman. In the 1985 film MASK,
she played the mother of a boy who was born with craniofacial
deformities, and the singer has since been a benefactor for
people who suffer from the disorder.

Since Cher was a no-show,
her fans had to settle for the next best thing - impersonator
Wayne Smith. Sporting a beaded pink gabardine pants suit, Smith
belted out a rendition of "I Got You Babe," the '60s
hit duet by Cher and then-husband Sonny Bono. Smith handled both
ends of the duet, mimicking Sonny's whiny tone and Cher's husky
vibrato by himself. "I'm schizophrenic," Smith joked.
His audience included male and female fans who sported Cher-like
hairdos in black, red and purple hues. Cher fan Troy Lynn
Hershman was dressed more conservatively, but said she's every
bit as devoted. "I've been a fan since I was four or
five," said Hershman, 33, of Houston. "But I've never
been to any of her concerts. I just watch her on cable."

GRAPHIC: Phot, (1) Cher-ing his talents Cher impersonator Wayne
Smith of Dallas gets the crowd in the spirit by singing the
Sonny and Cher hit I Got You Babe at Cher Convention 2000, held
over the weekend at Chicago's Congress Plaza Hotel. Smith did
both sides of the duet, mimicking Sonny's whiny tone and Cher's
husky vibrato, to the guffaws of many. The two-day confab drew
500 Cher fans, wannabes and look-alikes. It was organized by
three fans who found each other through Cher Web sites. Cher,
alas, was a no- show. But the proceeds went to one of her pet
causes: the Children's Craniofacial Association, a support group
for which Cher is honorary chairwoman. In the 1985 film Mask,
she played the mother of a boy who was born with craniofacial
deformities, and since then she's been a benefactor for people
who suffer from the disorder. (2) MediafaxFoto Indignant soprano
Monserrat Caballe rips up that inferior score. Brian Kersey /
Associated Pres

CHICAGO - The din of Cher covering The Eagle's "Take
it to the Limit" can be heard in the background as small
army of black-denim clad Cher fans mill about a banquet hall in
a downtown Chicago hotel. It's the first annual Cher Convention and
about 300 fans from America's suburbs have turned out to
celebrate all things Cher. There's even a few drag queens on
hand. "It's pretty great to have such a mass of
Cher items you can buy," says Ralf Simon, a 36-year-old
Cher fan from Germany who only recently became a Cher-o-phile.
"In Germany, I travel very much to record fairs and I'll
really be lucky to find one or two albums." Simon is, of course, referring to the
"vintage" breed of Cher albums, which he's able to
pick up with dumbfounded ease during the mid-July event. He's
been eyeing a sealed copy of Sonny and Cher's debut "Look
At Us," but the bevy of Cher-related vinyl is admittedly
overwhelming."There's so much stuff here," Simon
remarks.The two-day event has everything from
impersonators (70s, 80s and 90s Chers) to fashion seminars. A
few petitions are even being circulated: a request for a
Christmas album and a less-diplomatic demand for another
appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.The at-times over-zealous fans may seem
ridiculous or to be mounting their efforts in vein, but the
legion of Cher fans have made headway in the past."When Believe [the most recent album's
single] came out, the group on her Web site started calling
radio stations, started calling MTV, VH1, and we'd report back
to each other," said Judy Didelot, organizer behind Cher
Fest 2000. "And when the single hit number one we had a big
party on the Internet. It was then I thought it was time the
fans had a party."Didelot first started listening to Cher when
the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour hit the CBS airwaves during the
summer of 1971, and she hasn't looked back since. She estimates
that she has 150 Cher titles in her CD collection, and has seen
the pop diva in concert countless times (eight on the last
tour).And then, finally, a few years ago, Didelot
got to meet Cher in person.It was the grand opening of Chicago's Virgin
Megastore and Didelot secured a line position of ninth by
getting to the store by 6 a.m. The eight other fans had camped
out overnight."I was a nervous wreck, but when you meet
her face-to-face she makes you feel very comfortable,"
Didelot says. "I told her how nervous I was, and she told
me, 'You're doing fine.'"Wayne (80s Cher) Smith, a 39-year-old
impersonator from Dallas, Texas, has met Cher several times,
once in drag. Cher liked it, he says, and later gave him props
during an Internet chat room discussion with fans.The idea for the drag show wasn't Smith's (so
he says), and he began his life in drag while working for
designer Bob Mackie, who produced many of Cher's navel-exposing
outfits for the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour."One year Bob asked me what I was going
to be for Halloween, and I told him either a bag lady or a
clown. 'Why don't you go as Marylin Monroe, I think you would
look like her,' Bob said, and he helped me with my costume. I
won a $1,000 and I thought this could be a living."Smith started performing at the Los Angeles
drag club La Cage aux Folles as Marilyn Monroe and one night the
Cher impersonator took the night off. The rest is history.He quit the club several years ago, and now
completely sustains himself wearing beaded gabardine suits and
singing "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves.""A lot of times my agents will say to
potential customers, 'We want to let you know that the Cher
impersonator is a guy' and the clients will always say, 'Even
better,'" Smith says. "A lot of times the girls don't
take the extra effort to go completely over the top."Even though Smith does "take the extra
effort" he says he was a little worried about strutting his
stuff in front of a group of die-hard fans."I was so nervous. These people are FANS,
they have novenas for Cher at home, they pray to her at night. I
though if I came in there and they didn't like me I would be so
hurt," he said. "But last night I walked in with a big
white fur coat and a hat and the crowd went wild."

Chicago hosted a convention entirely devoted to the pop icon and
actress Cher on Saturday. Events included playing "name
that Cher tune" and singing some of her best-known songs
along with a Cher impersonator. "She's amazing. She is such
an inspiration to me," said impersonator Amy Hohimer, who
sported a long black wig similar to the hairstyle that Cher made
famous in the 1970s. Fans at Cher Convention 2000 also perused a
multitude of photos of the star, who is known for her flamboyant
outfits. "We can see beyond the wigs. We see her for a
person and a great lady," said Jody Cantwell, convention
organizer. All proceeds from the convention went to the
Children's Craniofacial Association. Cher directed attention to
the group when she played the mother of a disfigured child in
the movie, Mask.

Grammy-award singing sensation
Cher, who's old enough to be a grammie herself at age 54, is
looking to adopt a child, a British paper reported today.
The pop wonder, who dominated American airwaves last year
with her song "Believe," is hoping to raise a new kid,
after Sharon Stone unknowingly motivated her, said the Sunday
Mirror.Stone and her husband, Phil Bronstein, recently
adopted a baby boy named Roan.
"When I heard about Sharon, I knew what's been
missing from my life," Cher said. "She's so happy and
I'm so envious."
The diva has already raised two children by herself,
daughter Chastity, 31, whose father was politician/singer Sonny
Bono, and son Elijah Blue, 23, whose father is rock 'n' roller
Gregg Allman.
But Cher feels she can raise a new tot even better.
"When you get to 40 or 50, you've tried life. You
know what the hell is finally going on and can hand that
knowledge down," she said.
"I always feel bad that I was so busy when my other
two kids were growing up."
In Chicago yesterday, fans flocked to the Cher Convention
2000, a festival devoted to the star.
"We can see beyond the wigs. We see her for a person
and a great lady," said Jody Cantwell, who organized the
convention.
All the money from the convention's proceeds went to the
Children's Craniofacial Association. Cher played the mother of a
boy with a crippling facial disease in the movie
"Mask."

CHICAGO -- Chicago hosted a convention devoted to pop icon and
actress Cher yesterday, with participants playing "name
that Cher tune" and singing some of her best known songs
along with a Cher impersonator.

Fans at Cher Convention 2000 also perused photos of the star,
who is known for her flamboyant outfits.

All proceeds from the convention go to the Children's
Craniofacial Association. Cher directed attention to the group
when she played the mother of a disfigured child in the movie
"Mask."

Cher, 54-year-old mother of 31-year-old Chastity
and 23-year-old Elijah Blue, told the New York Daily News that
Sharon Stone's adoption of a baby resulted in her looking into
adoption too. "When I heard about Sharon, I knew what had
been missing in my life. She is so happy, and I am so
envious."

Meanwhile, Cher Convention 2000, a two-day event in Chicago
honoring the singer-movie star-saleswoman-goth heroine, had
karaoke singers, look-alikes and sales of T-shirts, albums and
geegaws, but it didn't have Cher.

The closest substitute was impersonator Wayne Smith, who sang
both parts of the duet on "I Got You Babe" and wore a
beaded pink pantsuit made of gabardine, a fabric not usually
associated with Cher.

Following in the footsteps of actress Sharon
Stone, who recently adopted a boy, pop singer Cher, 54, says she
is considering adopting a baby daughter. "When I heard
about Sharon, I knew what's been missing in my life," she
told Britain's Sunday Mirror. "She is so happy, and I am so
envious." Cher has two adult children, Chastity, 31, and
Elijah Blue, 23.

She also has no shortage of fans. More
than 500 diva worshipers came to Chicago for the past weekend's
Cher Convention 2000. Cher was a no-show.

If you believe the
television commercials, the World Wide Web is about making
connections, about bringing people together from anywhere and
everywhere. Next week, it will bring to Chicago a
housewife from Valparaiso, Ind., a man from Australia, a woman
from Wonder Lake and the owner of a vintage-vinal record store
in Carpentersville in single-minded purpose to celebrate a
celebrity with a single name: Cher. That's right, on July 14-15 at the Congress
Hotel in Chicago, thousands of Moonstruck fans will come
together to trade stories, spin records and purchase memorabilia
at a first-ever event called Cher Convention 2000.

'The coolest voice'
Snared in the Web that created this Cher fest is one unlikely
fly: Bob Sluyter, owner of Shooting Stars Records and
Collectibles along Main Street in old Carpentersville. Sluyter has been helping a frequent customer
track down old, unwrapped vinyl featuring the music of Cher —
recorded both with and without her first and best-known husband,
Sonny Bono. Sluyter scrounged the Chicago area and found seven
albums, two at a store in an African-American neighborhood on
Chicago's South Side. Sluyter is doing the chasing for Diana
Fields, 42, who lives in Wonder Lake, works in Schaumburg and
likes Cher enough to donate five of these albums to the people
running Cher Convention 2000. While growing up in Oklahoma, Fields would
watch Cher on television and even had a poster of the singer
dressed as the main character from her song Dark Lady. Cher "has the coolest voice and really
pours her heart into it," Fields said. Her taste in music, she added, is varied —
"from Led Zeppelin to light jazz" — but Sonny Bono's
death a few years ago rejuvenated her interest in Cher. Using the Internet, she came upon the cher.com
Web site, where she learned about plans for the Cher convention.
She left a note on a message board there and heard back from
Judy Didelot, one of the Cher Convention 2000's planners. With that, Fields became a volunteer,
finding items to auction off at the convention and putting up
convention posters at places such as Shooting Stars in
Carpentersville. Didelot said the impetus behind the event
was twofold: fan unity and fan appreciation. "I thought it was time fans got
together and had a party," she said. "If it weren't
for fans, celebrities wouldn't have their parties." The www.cherconvention.com Web site
puts the reasons for the first-of-its-kind convention in more
dramatic terms. According to the site, with the use of the
Internet, people have found their "Cher family." "We know we are not alone when we ask
ourselves, 'How can we give back the happiness she has given us
for so many years?' " posits the Web site. "But what
can we give a woman who has everything she could want? A woman
who has heard, 'I love you, Cher,' a million times? As
organizers of the Cher convention, we have come up with a unique
way to say, 'Thank you, Cher.' "

Fans 'Believe'
Didelot, 48, said she's never done anything like organizing a
convention before. She's been a fan since she took her young
sister to her first concert, a Cher show in 1972. "I love her music, her movies and her
honesty. I like the fact that, de-spite what life gives her, she
doesn't give up," Didelot said. Being a fan of the Academy Award-winning,
fiftysomething di-va is why she got onto the Internet in the
fall of 1998, Didelot said. Once online, the Valparaiso
housewife quickly found the cher.com site. Fans in a chat room there were discussing
Cher's most recent recording, the dance pop anthem Believe,
and the album of the same name. According to Didelot, the
virtual pals banded together to help take the song to the top of
the Billboard charts, where it would stay for four weeks — the
longest of any Cher song. Didelot said fans pushed each other to
request Believe from their local radio stations, sent
e-mails to cable music channels VH1 and MTV requesting the
video, and wrote to Cher's record label asking to release the
song as a single. Flushed with their success, the fans decided
to plan a Cher conven-tion. "We owe it all to Believe,"
Didelot said. In 1998, Didelot got to meet her idol. Cher
was present for the grand opening of the Tower Records on
Michigan Avenue in Chicago, and Didelot got her to sign a
promotional vinyl copy of Believe. It's her most prized
Cher possession, along with a signed color photo of Cher sent in
response to a fan letter in 1992. Fields admitted she was "kind of
surprised there will be a Cher convention," and even more
surprised that a male fan from Australia plans to attend. Shooting Stars Records owner Sluyter,
however, was nonplused by the thought of a Cher event. After
all, he knew of conventions for 1980s teen heartthrobs in the
band Duran Duran and a convention held in Los Angeles for the
campy, late 1960s soap opera Dark Shadows. In the Internet age, "There's a
niche for everything, I suppose. I wouldn't be surprised if
there's a Flock of Seagulls convention some-day," he
quipped, referring to the big-haired New Wave band of the early
1980s. On the Netwww.cher.comwww.cherconvention.com

They'll be coming from all
over to attend Cher Convention 2000, hundreds of them, according
to Judy Didelot, an organizer.
Crowds are expected for the convention — which
will be held Friday and Saturday at the Congress Plaza Hotel in
Chicago — because Cher appeals to all people of all ages,
Didelot said.
Didelot said 500 people already have committed to
attending the two-day event, including fans from Europe and
Australia.
The public is invited to the afternoon of the
second day for a $12 admission charge — $10 for those wearing
Cher T-shirts. Organizers have dubbed the Windy City "Cher-cago"
for the weekend.
Money from the event will go to the Children's
Cranial Facial Association, a group helping youth suffering from
the same disease that inflicted the character in Cher's film
Mask. According to Didelot, the charity is Cher's favorite,
and she holds annual summer retreats to benefit it.
The convention will feature Cher bingo, Cher
trivia, a "Name that Cher Tune" game, a Cher museum,
an auction of Cher items, and seminars on her films and music.
Fans can meet a man who touched the hem of Cher's
garments, Wayne Smith. Smith worked with fashion designer Bob
Mackie, who made most of the fabulous, outrageous wardrobe Cher
wore on her '70s television show. During the early 1980s, Smith
shopped for material for Cher's outfits.
Nor would it be a Cherfest without a gaggle of the
best in Cher impersonators imitating their favorite diva.
Although there's no telling whether she will
attend, Cher has been invited to the convention through her
personal secretary, Didelot said.

Thirty-five years ago, Helen
Thomas gave birth to her first daughter. She named her Cherilyn
Sarkisian Thomas. She named her daughter after Cher. "She's
been an inspiration to me for all those years," Thomas says
of the celebrity. "It's not just her talent, which is so
great it's beyond description. It's her whole existence."
Thomas is one of the more than 500 Cher fans at Chicago's
Congress Hotel and Convention Center for Cher Convention 2000
July 15. It is the first -- but probably not the last --
convention of it's kind in the world. The fans -- most of them
straight, middle-class women -- have come from across the
country to exchange memorabilia and stories of Cher encounters
and concerts.
Sally Johnson has come from St. Louis with about 1,000 of
the more than 7,500 items in her Cher memorabilia collection.
She became a collector in 1965, the year Sonny and Cher released
their sweet jangly ode to hippie marriage, "I Got You
Babe".
"I was a singer in a band and I just loved the
music," Johnson recalls. "I just think she's a
phenomenal person. She can do anything. And there's so many
things in my life she got me through."
Johnson's convention display includes autographed photos,
t-shirts, music videos, film videos, posters, computer games,
records, magazines. Some of the items are ordinary -- old TV
Guides and concert shirts -- and some are extraordinary, such as
two Cher gold records autographed by the late Alabama Gov.
George Wallace.
"Over there I have her Bonnie Jo Mason record
("Ringo I Love You")", Johnson says, pointing
toward Cher's earliest solo effort, recorded under the Mason
pseudonym. "And I also have the Don Christie record Sonny
recorded before he was Sonny Bono."
It's not the late congressman Johnson cares about. It's
Cher that Johnson worships. "She doesn't get the credit she
deserves," Johnson says. "I feel like as much as she's
done for everyone in four decades, it should be 'Cher, Cher,
Cher' all the time!"
Johnson has met Cher several times backstage at concerts.
At the initial meeting about 15 years ago, Johnson began crying.
"Cher said, 'You just dry those tears,'" Johnson
recalls, her voice going deeper in an effort to mimic her idol.
Johnson's interrupted by Dennis Stewart, of Chicago, who
wants to know how much money she'll take to part with an
oil-on-canvas painting circa 1989 -- Cher with big black hair.
"If she was here to sign it, it'd be priceless," he
says.
Stewart shares a singular prayer with many
convention-goers -- that there might be a visitation from their
goddess. "Someone told me they overheard that she might fly
in for tonight's dance," says Randall Kaufman, of
Naperville.
Rumor begets rumor.
"People are saying Cher might come to pick up the
proceeds," says fan Kim Swanson, adding that the money from
the convention will benefit Cher's favorite charity, the
Children's Craniofacial Association.
The press catches the buzz. Journalists trade numbers
with convention organizers. "Please, call me if she
shows."
There is no visitation, but there are Cher impersonators
at the Congress. Several -- including Amy Hohimer, Wayne Smith
and Chicago impersonator Jeffery Thomas -- opened the convention
July 14 with a retro-Cher show. In the cult of Cher,
impersonators are the second-best thing to the real thing.
"They're fantastic girls," Helen Thomas says.
"You close your eyes and some of them, their voices sound
just like her. Cher loves them, too -- all her drag
queens."
Thomas reaches into her purse for a notebook of Cher
quotes. She reads from Section D under "drag".
"It's been a long time, you know? It's been 35 years of
drag queens, so I'm a connoisseur." Thomas describes
herself as dull, straight as an arrow. "I'm just a jeans
and t-shirt gal," she says. "I don't know much about
gays or this camp."
She says Cher taught her to appreciate drag, as well as
to accept gays and lesbians. "Cher met Sonny at a lesbian
nightclub," Thomas says. "And then there's Chastity,
Cher's daughter. She's a lesbian. Cher loves her and she's
worked for gay rights."
"Cher has just given me so much. She gives to all
her fans," Thomas continues. She returns to her notebook
and turns to Section F. "Here, Cher says right here, 'What
I do, I do for myself and my fans -- the new ones and die-hard
ones. The other people, the critics, what they say is like the
poison of the business.'" Thomas reads on, deleting the
expletives in Cher's criticism of critics and send-up of fans.
"I think my fans have been unbelievable, because they just
stuck by me when it looked like I was dead to the world and
never coming back."
Thomas giggles. She says the critics have thought Cher
was "dead" several times over the past 35 years.
"She just keeps proving them wrong," she boasts.
Philip Finegan of Cleveland smugly says, "Cher's had
more comebacks than plastic surgeries." Finegan gets sharp
looks from a circle of fans who don't want to hear even a slight
joke aimed at Cher. The fans do, however, want to hear dish
about other divas of drama or pop. For trash talk, they turn to
Wayne Smith, who in addition to doing a dead-on Cher
impersonation, worked on Bob Mackie's costumes for the stars.
"Barbra Streisand, is she like the major bitch
everyone says she is?" a man shouts during Smith's seminar
on "Cher Fashion".
Smith stumbles over his answer. "She's very
particular," he says. He schools the audience on the
different standards for men and women. "People say she's a
bitch because she's a woman."
But Smith lets the nails rip on Diana Ross. "There's
some people," he says, "you just want to
shudder."
The impersonator, wearing a pink pantsuit decorated in
beads and a black wig teased 6-inches high, gets wide-eyed looks
when he tells fans how he carried Cher's bags during a shopping
spree on Rodeo Drive. Afterward, he says, Cher offered him a sip
of her soda and didn't mind that he drank from her straw.
"She's real that way," he says.
Smith's celebrity status rises another notch when he
recalls another encounter with Cher -- backstage at a concert in
Dallas. "She offered me some of her peanut M&Ms,"
he says."That sounds like Cher," Thomas
says later. "Always giving of herself."

Fans of
pop diva and actress Cher will gather this weekend for Chercago
Cher Convention 2000 at the Congress Plaza Hotel and Convention
Center.
The convention tonight and Saturday will feature
performances, games, seminars, music, a Cher Museum, movies,
videos, photographs and Cher memorabilia. The convention also is
an the opportunity to meet others who share the belief that
"Cher is one of the greatest modern entertainers," a
spokesman said.
An opening banquet will be held at 8 tonight at the
convention center. The event will feature a "Cher
Impersonator Show" featuring Chicago Cher impersonator Amy
Hohimer as well as other Cher performers. Admission is $75.
Admission to the convention on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5
p.m., is $ 12 (a $ 2 discount applies for those who wear a Cher
T-shirt). Another banquet begins at 8 p.m. Saturday featuring a
dinner, auction and a dance to DJ music. Admission is $ 75; $ 10
for just the dance.
A ticket to all three events is $ 150. Proceeds benefit
the Children's Craniofacial Association (CCA). For many years,
Cher has been the honorary chairperson of CCA, which provides
support to children born with facial deformities.

The convention center is at 520 S. Michigan. For more
information, call (734) 279-2141;
the Web site is www.cherconvention.com.

More than 500 diva-worshipers
came to Chicago for a two-day weekend convention in honor of
Cher. Cher Convention 2000 drew Cher impersonators, wannabes and
outright look-alikes from across the country Friday and
Saturday.
The gathering at Chicago's Congress Plaza Hotel, which
resembled conventions for fans of Star Trek, was organized by
three fans who found each other through Cher's Web site.
"I've been a fan for years and we all thought it
would be good to get together with other fans," said Kim
Werdman, a real estate manager from Arlington, Texas, who served
as convention vice president.
Cher wasn't present although organizers had expected her
to attend. While the event featured kitschy karaoke
performances, Sonny and Cher album covers and other memorabilia,
it also had a serious side.
Proceeds from the sale of T-shirts, photographs and other
keepsakes will be donated to the Children's Craniofacial
Association, a Dallas-based support group, Werdman said.
Cher is the organization's honorary chairwoman. In the
1985 film "Mask," she played the mother of a boy who
was born with craniofacial deformities, and the singer has since
been a benefactor for people who suffer from the disorder.

What does it take to make a
diva? She -- "diva" always equals "female,"
with the exception of Elton John -- must have an opera star's
grandiosity and a flamboyant sense of personal style. She should
be more ambitious than talented, with a history of being
misunderstood, even picked on, by the media. Another necessity
is a cult of ferociously devoted fans. Think Barbra Streisand
and Madonna. And, if you haven't already, think Cher.
It's hard to pinpoint exactly when Cher became a
full-fledged diva, but a diva she is, beyond doubt. That was
evident last weekend at the Congress Plaza Hotel, site of the
first-ever (as far as the organizers can tell) Cher Convention.
Several hundred fans from all over the country gathered to watch
clips from Cher's movies, listen to Cher impersonators cover her
songs "Believe" and "Turn Back Time," play
Cher bingo, browse the Cher museum and talk about why they're so
obsessed with their idol.
"These people live, sleep, pray to Cher," said
Wayne Smith, a Cher impersonator from Dallas. "If I stepped
out and didn't look like what they expect, I knew they would
kill me."
Smith needed not to worry on that score. With his male
form hidden beneath an elaborately beaded pantsuit and a
sculptural wig augmenting his already considerable height, Smith
looked uncannily like the woman he was imitating. Wherever he
went at the convention he attracted a circle of onlookers, still
and video cameras in hand, for whom he was the next-best thing
to the diva herself.
"I paid one of the impersonators to have my picture
taken with her, and she had her arm around me, and I just --
this is the closest I am ever going to be to [Cher], you
know?" said Sherry Duciaome, a fortyish fan from St. Louis
decked out in a Cher T-shirt and numerous buttons that, she
explained, she bought on eBay. "This whole thing has been
just overwhelming. If you can see me now, I'm just
shaking." As proof, she held out her hands, which were,
indeed, shaking a little.
"I even want to keep this," she added,
indicating the words "Cher Convention 2000" stamped on
her hand in purple ink.
Not all of the visitors were as agitated as Duciamoe, but
most seemed to agree with her that there's something almost
magical about Cher. No one seemed fazed by the more worshipful
items in the Cher museum, which included everything from
paintings of the star to framed concert tickets. One gilt-framed
rendering in oils approached four feet in height, as did the
bristling copy of one of Cher's feathered headdresses.
For those who wanted a Cher painting of their very own, a
dealer offered framed watercolors with titles like
"Believe," "Half Breed" and "Turn Back
Time" for $300-$500. There were less expensive souvenirs
too, of course, some of the most popular of which were white
cotton sailor hats emblazoned with "Cher Convention
2000." Since Cher's comeback hit, "Turn Back
Time," featured sailors in the video, fans have associated
the hats with their idol. Now, for a mere $10 (to go, like all
the convention's profits, to charity), they can sport an
unmistakable sign of their devotion.
The source of the Cher mystique is a subject of some
contention. All agreed that it stems from her failures as much
as her successes -- it's a diva hallmark, after all, to have
some tough times in your past.
"She always comes back. No matter what happens,
she'll always come back," said Leanne Oldham, a 17-year-old
from Kentucky wearing an oversized T-shirt with
"Believe" emblazoned across the back. "She came
out with the `It's a Man's World' CD and it totally bombed, but
then she came out with `Believe' and it totally rocked, so there
you go."
"Before MASK, the tabloids really trashed her,"
agreed Oldham's friend Chris D'Auria, from Tampa. "She's so
talented, and people don't give her credit for it."
But it doesn't take talent to be a diva. For some, it's
precisely Cher's lack of special ability that makes her so
appealing.
"She's not really talented, but she's done it
all," said Dan Fleck, a self-described "35-year
fan" sporting one of the jaunty sailor hats. "The gold
records, the Oscar. So if she can do it, anybody can do
it."
Certainly Cher's voice is duplicable -- Smith did a fair
job of copying it when he belted out "I Got You Babe"
that afternoon. And Cher herself has gone out of her way,
Madonna-style, to emphasize that she's not particularly
talented. Watching one of the convention's presentations, a
videotape of clips from her interviews over the years, it's
clear that she's cultivated the image of everywoman. In one
interview, she says she was painfully shy as a child, while in
another -- obviously from years later -- she reveals that she
was known in high school as "the weird girl."
Clearly, it's the fate of a diva to be misunderstood -- a
fate shared by the diva's fans. "My folks are anti-Cher,"
Oldham said ruefully. She was echoed by others at the convention
who described being teased by family and friends about their
devotion.
The only place these fans could find solace, they agreed,
was on the Internet, in chat rooms devoted to Cher.

If one believes the
television commercials, the whole World Wide Web thing is
supposed to be about making connections, about bringing people
from anywhere and everywhere together to do whatever they want
for whatever reasons they might have.
In the case of this story, that reason is a
celebrity who goes by one name: Cher.
Its connections include a housewife from
Valparaiso, Ind., a man from Australia and a woman originally
from Oklahoma who has been using a record store in old
Carpentersville to find vintage vinyl Cher albums, still in
their shrink wrap.
Shooting Stars Records and Collectibles along Main
Street in old Carpentersville is the shop in question.
With its bins of hard-to-find record albums, black
light posters on the wall and garage band music playing on the
turntable, the store seems more suited for a college town than a
suburban thoroughfare near Otto Engineering — a company with
big government contracts owned by a conservative businessman.
It also seems an unlikely place to find music from
a decidedly middle-of-the road artist like Cher.
But the store's owner, Bob Sluyter, has been using
his contacts to help frequent customer Diana Fields track down
old, unwrapped vinyl featuring the music of Cher — recorded
both with and without her first and best-known husband, Sonny
Bono. Sluyter scrounged the Chicago area and found seven albums
for Fields, two at a store in an African-American neighborhood
an Chicago's South Side.
Though she wanted some of the work for her own
collection, Fields gave five of the albums to the people running
an event called Cher Convention 2000, to be held July 14-15 at
the Congress Plaza Hotel in Chicago.

'The coolest voice'
Fields, 42, lives in Wonder Lake and works in
Schaumburg. While growing up in Oklahoma, she used to watch Cher
on television and even had a poster of the singer dressed as the
main character from her song Dark Lady.
Cher "has the coolest voice and really pours
her heart into it," Fields said.
She added that her taste in music is varied —
"from Led Zeppelin to light jazz" — but Sonny Bono's
death a few years ago drew her back to being interested in Cher.
Using the Internet, she came upon the cher.com
Web site, where she learned about plans for the Cher convention.
She left a note on a message board there and heard back from
Judy Didelot, one of the Cher Convention 2000's planners.
With that, Fields became a volunteer, finding items
to auction off at the convention and putting up convention
posters at places such as Shooting Stars in Carpentersville.
Didelot said the impetus behind the event was
twofold: fan togetherness and fan appreciation.
"I thought it was time fans got together and
have a party," she said. "If it weren't for fans,
celebrities wouldn't have their parties."
The www.cherconvention.com Web site puts the
reasons for the first-of-its-kind convention in more dramatic
terms. According to it, with the use of the Internet, people
have found their "Cher family." As friendships through
common interests have grown, there has been a call to come
together to celebrate Cher.
"We know we are not alone when we ask
ourselves, 'How can we give back the happiness she has given us
for so many years?' " posits the Web site. "But what
can we give a woman who has everything she could want? A woman
who has heard, 'I love you Cher,' a million times? As organizers
of the Cher convention we have come up with a unique way to say
'Thank you, Cher.' "

Fans 'Believe'd
Didelot, 48, said she's never done anything like
organizing a convention before. She's been a fan since she took
her baby sister to her first concert, a Cher show in 1972.
"I love her music, her movies and her honesty.
I like the fact that, despite what life gives her, she doesn't
give up," Didelot said.
Being a fan of the Academy Award-winning,
fiftysomething diva is why she got onto the Internet in the
first place back in the fall of 1998, Didelot said. Once online,
the Valparaiso housewife quickly found the cher.com site.
Fans in a chat room there were discussing Cher's
most recent recording, the dance pop anthem, Believe, and
the album of the same name. According to Didelot, the virtual
pals banded together to help take the song to the top of the
Billboard charts, where it would stay for four weeks — the
longest of any Cher song.
Didelot said fans pushed each other to request
Believe from their local radio stations, sent e-mails to
cable music channels VH1 and MTV requesting the video, and wrote
to Cher's record label asking to release the song as a single.
Flush with their success, the fans decided to plan
a Cher convention.

"We owe it all to Believe," said
Didelot
In 1998, Didelot also got to meet her idol. Cher
was in town for the grand opening of the Tower Records on
Michigan Avenue in Chicago, and Didelot got her to sign a
promotional vinyl copy of Believe. It's her most prized
Cher possession, along with a signed color photo of Cher sent in
response to a fan letter in 1992.
Cher's fan base does include a large number of
middle-aged women, gay men and drag queens, Didelot agreed. She
guessed that drag queens dig Cher's wild and crazy outfits,
while gay men may be attracted to her as a strong, independent
woman.
Fan Fields admitted she was "kind of surprised
there will be a Cher convention," more so that a male fan
all the way from Australia is planning to attend.
"But there are ones for bands like The Beatles
every year," she reasoned.
Shooting Stars Records owner Sluyter, however, was
nonplused by the thought of a Cher event. After all, he knew of
conventions for 1980s teen heartthrobs Duran Duran, and even a
recent one held in Los Angeles for the campy, late 1960s soap
opera Dark Shadows. That show's main characters included
a fey vampire and a hunky werewolf.
Sluyter himself had just gotten back from a garage
rock convention in Las Vegas.
In the Internet age, "There's a niche for
everything, I suppose. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a
Flock of Seagulls convention someday," he quipped,
referring to the big-haired New Wave band of the early 1980s. On
the Netwww.cher.comwww.cherconvention.com

If you believe the television
commercials, the World Wide Web is about making connections,
about bringing people from anywhere and everywhere together to
do whatever they want for whatever reasons they might have.Next week, it will bring to Chicago a
housewife from Valparaiso, Ind., a man from Australia, a woman
from Wonder Lake and the owner of a vintage-vinal record store
in Carpentersville in single-minded purpose to celebrate a
celebrity with a single name: Cher.That's right, on July 14-15 at the Congress
Hotel in Chicago, thousands of Moonstruck fans will come
together to trade stories, spin records and purchase memorabilia
at a first-ever event called Cher Convention 2000.'The coolest voice'
Snared in the Web that created this Cher fest is one unlikely
fly: Bob Sluyter, owner of Shooting Stars Records and
Collectibles along Main Street in old Carpentersville.Sluyter has been helping a frequent customer
track down old, unwrapped vinyl featuring the music of Cher —
recorded both with and without her first and best-known husband,
Sonny Bono. Sluyter scrounged the Chicago area and found seven
albums, two at a store in an African-American neighborhood on
Chicago's South Side.Sluyter is doing the chasing for Diana Fields,
42, who lives in Wonder Lake, works in Schaumburg and likes Cher
enough to donate five of these albums to the people running Cher
Convention 2000.While growing up in Oklahoma, Fields would
watch Cher on television and even had a poster of the singer
dressed as the main character from her song Dark Lady.Cher "has the coolest voice and really
pours her heart into it," Fields said.Her taste in music, she added, is varied —
"from Led Zeppelin to light jazz" — but Sonny Bono's
death a few years ago rejuvenated her interest in Cher.Using the Internet, she came upon the cher.com
Web site, where she learned about plans for the Cher convention.
She left a note on a message board there and heard back from
Judy Didelot, one of the Cher Convention 2000's planners.With that, Fields became a volunteer, finding
items to auction off at the convention and putting up convention
posters at places such as Shooting Stars in Carpentersville.Didelot said the impetus behind the event was
twofold: fan unity and fan appreciation."I thought it was time fans got together
and had a party," she said. "If it weren't for fans,
celebrities wouldn't have their parties."The www.cherconvention.com Web site
puts the reasons for the first-of-its-kind convention in more
dramatic terms. According to the site, with the use of the
Internet, people have found their "Cher family.""We know we are not alone when we ask
ourselves, 'How can we give back the happiness she has given us
for so many years?' " posits the Web site. "But what
can we give a woman who has everything she could want? A woman
who has heard, 'I love you, Cher,' a million times? As
organizers of the Cher convention, we have come up with a unique
way to say, 'Thank you, Cher.' "Fans 'Believe'
Didelot, 48, said she's never done anything like organizing a
convention before. She's been a fan since she took her young
sister to her first concert, a Cher show in 1972."I love her music, her movies and her
honesty. I like the fact that, de-spite what life gives her, she
doesn't give up," Didelot said.Being a fan of the Academy Award-winning,
fiftysomething di-va is why she got onto the Internet in the
fall of 1998, Didelot said. Once online, the Valparaiso
housewife quickly found the cher.com site.Fans in a chat room there were discussing
Cher's most recent recording, the dance pop anthem Believe,
and the album of the same name. According to Didelot, the
virtual pals banded together to help take the song to the top of
the Billboard charts, where it would stay for four weeks — the
longest of any Cher song.Didelot said fans pushed each other to request
Believe from their local radio stations, sent e-mails to
cable music channels VH1 and MTV requesting the video, and wrote
to Cher's record label asking to release the song as a single.Flushed with their success, the fans decided
to plan a Cher conven-tion."We owe it all to Believe,"
Didelot said.In 1998, Didelot got to meet her idol. Cher
was present for the grand opening of the Tower Records on
Michigan Avenue in Chicago, and Didelot got her to sign a
promotional vinyl copy of Believe. It's her most prized
Cher possession, along with a signed color photo of Cher sent in
response to a fan letter in 1992.Fields admitted she was "kind of
surprised there will be a Cher convention," and even more
surprised that a male fan from Australia plans to attend.Shooting Stars Records owner Sluyter, however,
was nonplused by the thought of a Cher event. After all, he knew
of conventions for 1980s teen heartthrobs in the band Duran
Duran and a convention held in Los Angeles for the campy, late
1960s soap opera Dark Shadows.In the Internet age, "There's a niche for
everything, I suppose. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a
Flock of Seagulls convention some-day," he quipped,
referring to the big-haired New Wave band of the early 1980s. On
the Netwww.cher.comwww.cherconvention.com

Wild,
wired world of the Web brings diva's fans together
****************************
Shooting Stars Records and Collectibles along Main
Street in old Carpentersville is the shop in question.
With its bins of hard-to-find record albums, black
light posters on the wall and garage band music playing on the
turntable, the store seems more suited for a college town than a
suburban thoroughfare near Otto Engineering — a company with
big government contracts owned by a conservative businessman.
It also seems an unlikely place to find music from
a decidedly middle-of-the road artist like Cher.
But the store's owner, Bob Sluyter, has been using
his contacts to help frequent customer Diana Fields track down
old, unwrapped vinyl featuring the music of Cher — recorded
both with and without her first and best-known husband, Sonny
Bono. Sluyter scrounged the Chicago area and found seven albums
for Fields, two at a store in an African-American neighborhood
an Chicago's South Side.
Though she wanted some of the work for her own
collection, Fields gave five of the albums to the people running
an event called Cher Convention 2000, to be held July 14-15 at
the Congress Plaza Hotel in Chicago.

'The coolest voice'
Fields, 42, lives in Wonder Lake and works in
Schaumburg. While growing up in Oklahoma, she used to watch Cher
on television and even had a poster of the singer dressed as the
main character from her song Dark Lady.
Cher "has the coolest voice and really pours
her heart into it," Fields said.
She added that her taste in music is varied —
"from Led Zeppelin to light jazz" — but Sonny Bono's
death a few years ago drew her back to being interested in Cher.
Using the Internet, she came upon the cher.com
Web site, where she learned about plans for the Cher convention.
She left a note on a message board there and heard back from
Judy Didelot, one of the Cher Convention 2000's planners.
With that, Fields became a volunteer, finding items
to auction off at the convention and putting up convention
posters at places such as Shooting Stars in Carpentersville.
Didelot said the impetus behind the event was
twofold: fan togetherness and fan appreciation.
"I thought it was time fans got together and
have a party," she said. "If it weren't for fans,
celebrities wouldn't have their parties."
The www.cherconvention.com Web site puts the
reasons for the first-of-its-kind convention in more dramatic
terms. According to it, with the use of the Internet, people
have found their "Cher family." As friendships through
common interests have grown, there has been a call to come
together to celebrate Cher.
"We know we are not alone when we ask
ourselves, 'How can we give back the happiness she has given us
for so many years?' " posits the Web site. "But what
can we give a woman who has everything she could want? A woman
who has heard, 'I love you Cher,' a million times? As organizers
of the Cher convention we have come up with a unique way to say
'Thank you, Cher.' "

Fans 'Believe'd
Didelot, 48, said she's never done anything like
organizing a convention before. She's been a fan since she took
her baby sister to her first concert, a Cher show in 1972.
"I love her music, her movies and her honesty.
I like the fact that, despite what life gives her, she doesn't
give up," Didelot said.
Being a fan of the Academy Award-winning,
fiftysomething diva is why she got onto the Internet in the
first place back in the fall of 1998, Didelot said. Once online,
the Valparaiso housewife quickly found the cher.com site.
Fans in a chat room there were discussing Cher's
most recent recording, the dance pop anthem, Believe, and
the album of the same name. According to Didelot, the virtual
pals banded together to help take the song to the top of the
Billboard charts, where it would stay for four weeks — the
longest of any Cher song.
Didelot said fans pushed each other to request
Believe from their local radio stations, sent e-mails to
cable music channels VH1 and MTV requesting the video, and wrote
to Cher's record label asking to release the song as a single.
Flush with their success, the fans decided to plan
a Cher convention.
"We owe it all to Believe," said
Didelot
In 1998, Didelot also got to meet her idol. Cher
was in town for the grand opening of the Tower Records on
Michigan Avenue in Chicago, and Didelot got her to sign a
promotional vinyl copy of Believe. It's her most prized
Cher possession, along with a signed color photo of Cher sent in
response to a fan letter in 1992.
Cher's fan base does include a large number of
middle-aged women, gay men and drag queens, Didelot agreed. She
guessed that drag queens dig Cher's wild and crazy outfits,
while gay men may be attracted to her as a strong, independent
woman.
Fan Fields admitted she was "kind of surprised
there will be a Cher convention," more so that a male fan
all the way from Australia is planning to attend.
"But there are ones for bands like The Beatles
every year," she reasoned.
Shooting Stars Records owner Sluyter, however, was
nonplused by the thought of a Cher event. After all, he knew of
conventions for 1980s teen heartthrobs Duran Duran, and even a
recent one held in Los Angeles for the campy, late 1960s soap
opera Dark Shadows. That show's main characters included
a fey vampire and a hunky werewolf.
Sluyter himself had just gotten back from a garage
rock convention in Las Vegas.
In the Internet age, "There's a niche for
everything, I suppose. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a
Flock of Seagulls convention someday," he quipped,
referring to the big-haired New Wave band of the early 1980s. On
the Netwww.cher.comwww.cherconvention.com

They'll be coming from all
over to attend Cher Convention 2000, hundreds of them, says Judy
Didelot, one of the organizers. Big crowds are expected for the convention
— which will be held July 14-15 at the Congress Plaza Hotel in
Chicago — because Cher appeals to all people of all ages,
Didelot said. Didelot said 500 people already have
committed to attending the two-day event, including fans from as
far away as Europe and Australia. The public is invited to attend the
afternoon of the second day for a $12 admission charge — only
$10 for those wearing Cher T-shirts. Organizers have dubbed the
Windy City "Cher-cago" for the weekend. Money from the event will go to the
Children's Cranial Facial Association, a group helping youth
suffering from the same disease that inflicted the character in
Cher's film Mask. According to Didelot, the charity is
Cher's favorite, and she hosts annual summer retreats for it. The convention will feature Cher bingo, Cher
trivia, a "Name that Cher Tune" game, a Cher museum,
an auction of Cher items, and seminars on her films and music. Fans even can meet a man who touched the hem
of Cher's garments, Wayne Smith. Smith worked with fashion
designer Bob Mackie, who made most of the fabulous, outrageous
wardrobe Cher wore on her '70s television show. During the early
1980s, Smith shopped for material for Cher's outfits. And it wouldn't be a Cherfest without a
gaggle of the best in Cher impersonators imitating their
favorite diva. Though there's no telling whether she will
attend, Cher has been invited to the convention through her
personal secretary, Didelot said.

...
Cher fanatics will converge on Chicago July 14-15 when Cher
Convention 2000 convenes at the Congress Plaza Hotel and
Convention Center. Featuring music, movies, and rare Cher
memorabilia, the convention will donate proceeds to the
Children's Craniofacial Association (CCA), of which the artist
is the honorary chairperson.
For more information, visit the convention's official Web
site.

CHER-
ING Some 500 Cher devotees descended on Chicago last
weekend at a convention held in honor of, um, Cher. The
gathering, which rivaled Trekkie meetings for its slew of
impersonators, wannabes, and look-
alikes, was organized by three star worshipers who had found
each other over the Internet. Every day we see how digital
networks truly broaden our horizons.

"We Believe... Chercago!" is the motto
that greets Saturday entrants to the Congress Plaza Hotel. And
while it might seem unbelievable, fans streamed in, ready to
plunk down $12 for a chance to attend the Cher Convention 2000.
Why? "We met over the original Cher Website,"
says Kim Werdman, who started the event with two friends.
"And we started talking, and just figured after a while,
'Why not have a convention?' We're all just huge crazy
fans." An apt description for Cher devotees, coming from as
far as Mexico and Germany, whose entrance fees went to Cher's
favorite charity, the Children's Craniofacial Association, with
which she became involved after starring in the movie
"Mask." But donating to Cher's charity only gets you a
chance to see exhibits from the personal Cher museum of
Columbus, Illinois' Sally Johnson ("I've got a
twenty-six-foot room full of pieces at home, with full-size
paintings over my fireplace, in my dining room and in my
bedroom"). However, you also get a shot at Cher Bingo, a
Cher Movie Seminar, Cher Karaoke, Cher Trivia, a Cher Silent
Auction and, oh yes, a Cher Impersonator Show, with awards given
in the categories of seventies Cher, eighties Cher and Cher of
Today.
"You know, she's just such a pure person,"
gushes Wayne Smith, aka Eighties Cher. "She's so
real." "She's totally cool," agrees Jeffrey
Thomas, Cher of Today. "She's just this mother
figure." By the way, Jeff, of all the different Chers, why
the current one? "Well, I was the eighties Cher for about
thirteen years, but then, you know, I decided it was time I
branched out. You know, it was the millennium--time for a
change."

Do you believe in life after love? Well, Cher (left)
sure does. After numerous failed relationships and a couple of
sub-par marriages, the 54-year-old diva tells Britain's Sunday
Mirror that she wants to adopt a baby girl.
"When you get to 40 or 50 you have lived life,"
she explains. "You know what the hell is finally going on
and can hand that knowledge down." The Oscar-winning
actress also revealed that Sharon Stone's recent adoption
awakened her mothering instinct. "When I heard about
Sharon, I knew what's been missing in my life. She is so happy
and I am so envious." While Cher ponders motherhood, approximately 500
of her fans attended a Chicago convention in her honor. Rivaling
a Star Trek convention in sheer kookiness, impersonators and
mega fans packed the Congress Plaza Hotel this past weekend,
buying everything -- old memorabilia, T-shirts and photographs.
In true diva fashion, Cher didn't attend. The first annual event
was organized by three fans who met on the Internet. Proceeds
from the sale of Cher stuff was donated to the Children's
Craniofacial Association. You may remember in the movie
"Mask," Cher portrayed the mother of a boy who suffers
from the disease.

Move Over, Trekkies, Fans Gather For
Cher

Convention-Goers Honor Pop Diva

CHICAGO -- More than 500
diva-worshippers came to Chicago for a two-day weekend
convention in honor of actress-singer Cher.

Cher
Convention 2000 drew Cher impersonators, wannabes and outright
lookalikes from across the country to a downtown hotel Friday
and Saturday.

The gathering at Chicago's Congress
Plaza Hotel, which resembled conventions for fans of
"Star Trek," comic books and sports teams, was
organized by three fans who found each other through Cher's Web
site.

"I've been a fan for years, and
we all thought it would be good to get together with other
fans," said Kim Werdman, a real estate manager from
Arlington, Texas, who served as convention vice president.

Cher wasn't present, although
organizers had expected her to attend. While the event
featured kitschy karaoke performances, Sonny and Cher album
covers and other memorabilia, it also had a serious side.

Proceeds
from the sale of T-shirts, photographs and other keepsakes
will be donated to the Children's Craniofacial Association, a
Dallas-based support group, Werdman said.

Cher is the organization's honorary
chairwoman. In the 1985 film "Mask," she played the
mother of a boy who was born with craniofacial deformities,
and the singer has since been a benefactor for people who
suffer from the disorder.

Since Cher was a no-show, her fans
had to settle for the next best thing -- impersonator Wayne
Smith. Sporting a beaded pink gabardine pants suit, Smith
belted out a rendition of "I Got You Babe," the '60s
hit duet by Cher and then-husband Sonny Bono.

(NEW YORK) - Cher fanatics will
converge on Chicago July 14-15 when Cher Convention 2000
convenes at the Congress Plaza Hotel and Convention Center.
Featuring music, movies, and rare Cher memorabilia, the
convention will donate proceeds to the Children's Craniofacial
Association (CCA), of which the artist is the honorary
chairperson.For more information, visit the convention's
official Web site. (Billboard Online)

...Unconventional
convention Meanwhile in
Chicago, fans gathered over the weekend at Cher Convention 2000
where they played “name that Cher tune” and sang some of her
best-known songs along with a Cher impersonator.
“She’s amazing. She is
such an inspiration to me,” said impersonator Amy Hohimer, who
sported a long black wig similar to the hairstyle that Cher made
famous in the 1970s.
Fans at also perused a
multitude of photos of the star, who is known for her flamboyant
outfits.
“We can see beyond the
wigs. We see her for a person and a great lady,” said
convention organizer Jody Cantwell,
All proceeds from the
convention went to the Children’s
Craniofacial Association. Cher directed attention to the
group when she played the mother of a disfigured child in the
movie, “Mask.”

• If you're a Cher fan - and
who isn't? - then you'll want to attend Cher Convention 2000.
It's being held at Chicago's Congress Plaza Hotel and Convention
Center this weekend (July 14-15), so you'll have to hurry. The
convention features exhibitions of rare Cher memorabilia, by
which they must mean wigs, music, and Cher movies. So here's
your chance to see 1969's Chastity.

Following
in the footsteps of actress Sharon Stone, who recently
adopted a boy, pop singer Cher, 54, says she is
considering adopting a baby daughter. "When I heard about
Sharon, I knew what's been missing in my life," she told
Britain's Sunday Mirror. "She is so happy, and I am so
envious." Cher has two adult children, Chastity, 31, and
Elijah Blue, 23.

She also has no
shortage of fans. More than 500 diva worshipers came to Chicago
for the past weekend's Cher Convention 2000. Cher was a no-show.

We're not sure which is more
scary: the fact that 500 diva-worshippers gathered in Chicago
for a two-day Cher Convention, or that the 54-year old
singer/actress is considering adopting a baby girl -- keep in
mind that some of her boyfriends were young enough to be adopted
by the chanteuse. According to Reuters, Cher told Britain's Sunday Mirror
that her decision has been heavily influenced by the actions of
42-year-old actress Sharon Stone, who just recently adopted a
baby boy.

If you've ever wanted to buy a
clock imprinted with the likenesses of Sonny and Cher, but were
just too embarrassed, now's your chance to do it for a good
cause-and, hey, it's on sale. (Or what better gift if you've got
a Cher-smitten friend like Jack on the sit-com "Will and
Grace"?) All the proceeds from this and other merchandise
sold under the auspices of the Cher Convention 2000 (see this
and other links at end) go to the Children's Craniofacial
Association, which helps children with facial disfigurements.
Cher got involved after playing the mother of a boy with a
craniofacial condition in the movie "Mask." (Who could
forget Cher in her short skirt scaring the doctors with her
rock-star attitude and taking off on a motorcycle?)
Cher's website includes a link for the association, but
she's hardly the only celebrity who endorses a particular cause.
Among music stars, there's a wide range of degree of involvement
in charities-from lending a name to starting a foundation.
Curious in this holiday season-when people, perhaps in an
attempt to suppress their inner Scrooge, tend to be generous to
those in need-I surfed the Internet to get a sense of who was
doing what...
...So look around, and put your money (if you have it)
where your admiration is. But you may want to check out the
organization first. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns that
a celebrity name does not guarantee proper accountability. Its
website suggests asking for written information on the charity's
programs and finances and seeking additional information from
the BBB or your state Attorney General's office.
And then you can buy that clock.

OFF THE WAGON

...A bundle of joy

Cher, 54-year-old mother of
31-year-old Chastity and 23-year-old Elijah Blue,
told the New York Daily News that Sharon Stone's adoption
of a baby resulted in her looking into adoption, too.
``When I heard about Sharon, I knew what had been missing
in my life. She is so happy, and I am so envious.''

Meanwhile, Cher Convention 2000, a
two-day event in Chicago honoring the Goth heroine, had karaoke
singers, look-alikes and sales of T-shirts, albums and gewgaws,
but it didn't have Cher.

The closest substitute was impersonator
Wayne Smith, who sang both parts of the duet on I Got
You Babe and wore a beaded pink pantsuit.